Alex McEwan

Soundgarden Black Hole Sun analysis

Whilst failing to occupy a clear narrative, the music video for Soundgardens
Black Hole Sun provides each viewer with an experience, rather than a story.
The appeal of the video is simple; aesthetic pleasure. There are many differing
theories in regards to underlying meanings within the lyrics, however the singer
of the band, Chris Cornell, has stated that the lyrics and visuals are very
separate, with the director of the video, Howard Greenhlagh, said to have desired
a video that coupled the deep, melodic vocals, using elaborate and almost
disturbing graphics to give the song an identifiable relation. The song itself is
rumoured to have been based upon the Black Sun sculpture in Seattle,
Washington, resembling the vortex in which the inhabitants of the town within
the video are eventually sucked into. From watching the video, its evident that
an apocalyptic motif has been used, with the representation of the end of
existence symbolizing the apocalypse, through succumbing to the power of a
higher entity. This is another theme that runs through the video, as humans are
continuously seen either taunting, butchering or torturing animals, dolls and all
those inferior to us.
The apparent plot can be described as very apocalyptic, using fear,
foreshadowing and symbolism to convey this theme. The whirlpool known as the
Black Hole Sun is seen to engulf the characters one by one, which again
reinforces the clear idea of an ending milieu for these eccentrics. Cornell himself
had stated in an interview that his intention was to create a melodic tune that
fans would appreciate, unconcerned by the aspects presented by a music video.
This challenges typical conventions of the rock genre, due to the prevalent use of
underlying meaning in lyrics, influenced by personal experience to give the song
a greater depth, whilst also incorporating more emotion to convey personal
grievance. The construction of the video, however, took the premise of a Black
Hole Sun and used the lyrics to attempt to relate the visuals to the vocals as
much as possible, despite being such a mellow song. This is relevant from the
very first sentence, being In my eyes, indisposed, In disguises no one knows,
suggesting that the characters with wacky faces and daunting eyes are not who
they appear to be, also inferable through their erratic behaviour, such as
torturing fish and staring menacingly at their television screens. There may also
be a reference to deception one again through the lyrics Times are gone for
honest men, And sometimes far too long for snakes, suggesting that Earth as we
know it has evolved, with two faced characters frequent in our current age,
through the reference to snakes, which are biblically known to be deceiving
animals.
The majority of modern rock songs either occupy one of two conventions;
humour or depression. The genre of Grunge was spearheaded by bands such as
Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, who are all notorious for dark colours,
long hair and sludgy guitar sounds. Soundgarden are a hybrid band of both
alternative rock and grunge, however this music video completely defies any
stereotype of the genre, replacing dark colours with vibrant imagery, melancholic

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visuals with exaggerated smiles and depictions of destruction violence and
insanity, relating more to stereotypes of heavy metal than rock. Stereotypes are
a prevalent feature within the production, with depictions of men encompassing
the bodybuilder, the father and the old man, with also stereotypes of women
being deceptive, depicted by the reptilian woman displaying her enlarged
tongue. This links backs to the theme of deception, whilst also being viewed
potentially through the male gaze, evident in her bikini that emphasizes the size
of her breasts and flaunts her perfect figure, idealised by modern society. This
links to theory presented by Mulvey, who states that the act of Voyeurism is used
to mainly depict females as sexual objects, conforming to stereotypes, whilst
also rejecting them, as surrealism is implemented as her tongue is seen,
resembling that of a lizard. However, her body is depicted as an establishing shot
of this particular scene, suggesting that the director intended to appeal to the
target market of both the video and the genre of music (teenage boys), by
appealing to what theyre stereotypically aroused by (attractive women).
Despite the stunning visuals, the camerawork is also very clever, using close ups
to encapsulate the raw insanity tormenting the brains of these beings, displayed
cleverly through the woman applying copious amounts of lipstick, the old man
grinning horrifyingly wide at the television screen and the small girl dribbling her
ice cream, appearing to melt just as quickly as her food. The scene which
displays a woman screaming at the black hole uses such a dramatic close up
that it almost fills the viewer with a sense of claustrophobia, as if theyre
dwelling within this fictional torment. Extreme low shots of the band illustrate
their superiority, portrayed as higher beings in comparison to the controlled
residents of this world, seemingly by the Black Hole, acting as a hypnosis. The
low shots of the Black Hole also convey how superior it is, being far more
powerful, able to simply absorb the characters as it pleases.
Editing was a key aspect for appealing to the target market, with the effects used
spurring many students at the time of release (1994) to study graphical design,
taking an interest in the powerful visuals that the director was able to produce. In
fact, it was so popular that the sales of Adobe Photoshop rose to their highest
peak of that year, with young people interested in pursuing a career in graphical
design, inspired by Greenhlagh and his ability to capture such an obscure
concept. The editing of the video towards the end of the video, as we see Cornell
and the band thrashing their instruments, it sharp and very quick, creating an
atmosphere of alarm, as the screen continuously cuts to black, then reverts to
shots of the band performing, with cascading debris flying across the screen.
This is effective due to the fact that it somewhat incorporates the band into the
story, yet are still separated due to their lack of affiliation, as previously seen
standing atop a hill, performing the song, watching the havoc unfold, impassive
to the chaos. By doing so, it conforms to the stereotype of rock/grunge artists,
often displayed in the media as fairly mellow, aloof to the fame theyre subjected
to. Whilst the video isnt necessarily ground-breaking, at the time of release,
technology was only starting to become a an established aspect of our day-today lives, therefore the graphics were seen as inspired, providing young people

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with a memorable platform for who now are the ones producing music videos
such as Katy Perrys Roar, which uses clever symbolism throughout.
Intertextuality can be seen in the music video, through the old man gazing at his
television, almost entranced by the screen, which displays the character seen at
the very beginning, holding The End Is Nigh, banner. The use of intertextuality
helps the target market to relate to the video, as well as the band, due to the
fact that the majority of viewers spend most of their time either watching TV or
using technology. Furthermore, a common theory associated with this scene
suggests that the video attempts to relate to popular horror films of the time. In
1994, horror films were on the rise, becoming vastly popular with teenagers, due
to their ability to frighten and enthral their audiences. The scene has been said
to resemble the film Videodrome, with the entity within the television revealing
itself and coming to life. The fact that the character is so engrossed by the
character on the television indicates that he may be a shapeshifter of some kind,
working just as the Black Hole Sun does, to hypnotize and control the people
living in this town. Theres also constant foreshadowing throughout the video,
especially in the scene where a small girl is burning her Barbie doll on the
barbeque. By burning the doll, it resembles the characters being slowly
consumed by fire, therefore a clear indicator as to whats yet to come.
Furthermore, the fact that the girl is burning her doll also reverts back to the
prior theory that the characters are being controlled by a higher entity,
potentially suggesting that we too are at the command of a higher power, a
theory debated over decades within society. This poses many questions in the
mind of the viewer; would a higher life form look at as the same as we look at a
lower life form? Would we have compassion? Two boys are seen to be playing
with insects in the garden, using them almost as toys for their pleasure. This
shows that as a communal race, we lack consideration for other life forms,
therefore other life forms shouldnt take pity on us, as throughout the video, the
representation of humans is negative, displaying our characteristics as menacing
and unnecessary, being portrayed as monsters. This could imply that we may
just be a part of a long chain of species, being kept in a trance in a state that
resembles sleep, not moving anywhere, yet standing still in time without
knowing so. The scene of the old man staring at his television could also imply
that, collectively, were slowly being brainwashed by technology, taking over our
subconscious, acting just as the Black Hole does, controlling us without us being
aware. The video also suggests that were controlled and contained by fear,
evident in the end is nigh, with creepy grins attempting to ignore reality and
repress the notion that were living a lie.
The concept of the video doesnt relate to the lyrics, however does provide the
audience with an entertaining visual to couple the lyrics with. Despite this, I feel
the video is an effective accompaniment for the award winning video, as both
the best metal/hard rock video at the 1994 MTV video music awards and again
receiving the Clio award for Best Alternative Music Video. I feel the impact it has
on the audience is positive, due to the intrigue the video gained from being such
an enigma, allowing for endless interpretations and global recognition, providing

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fans with an abstract yet intriguing accessory to whats been called their highest
acclaimed song ever.